EPA Puts Methane Mitigation on its To-Do List

The EPA is taking steps toward climate change mitigation by requesting grant applications for activities that promote methane emission reductions. Five million dollars in grant money was recently made available to U.S. and international organizations to promote climate change mitigation programs. Is this a step up from the Bush Administration?The EPA is bringing methane reduction front and center with new grant application requests. Methane is nearly 20 times more potent and devastating to the planet than carbon dioxide.

According to the press release, a grant application can come from any country, but the projects should be based in one of the following countries:

If an organization wishes to submit an application for a project in a developing country or a country with an economy in transition that is not listed above, the country must first apply to the Methane to Markets Partnership before the project can be considered for funding.

This is a significant change from just a few years ago when out of the Bush Administration's 11 EPA pollution reduction initiatives, all but one had been passed down from the Clinton Administration. But even still, from my time working in environmental consulting, I know that $5 million in grants is pretty small potatoes. But it's a start.

Proposals are due by April 15, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. EST. EPA estimates that awards would be made at the end of 2010.